The European Commission welcomes the European Parliament's endorsement today of the new target for CO2 emissions from cars. The target of 95g CO2/km in 2021 will further reduce road transport emissions and make a substantial contribution to meeting the EU objective of cutting greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2020, as set out in the Commission's recent proposal for 2030 targets.

Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said: "Ende gut, alles gut. After long and difficult discussions, I'm glad that a deal was sealed which maintains ambition. This agreement gives the car industry planning certainty to produce more fuel efficient vehicles and saves consumers money. The 95g target is achievable by employing technologies available today. But it is clear that long-term clarity is important for the car industry. This is why the Commission will now focus on the next step and come up with ideas for a post-2020 target in the coming months".

BACKGROUND

The Commission’s analysis shows that the target of 95g/km in 2021 for newly registered cars is achievable in a cost effective manner by employing technologies that are available today. The target is averaged across the whole of the car fleet, so cars emitting more than the target need to be compensated by cars that emit less than the target. New cars' CO2 emissions in 2021 will be reduced by 27% compared with the 2015 target of 130g/km.

Achieving the 95g/km target is a "win-win" situation. A win for manufacturers as they can retain their competitive advantage through building low-emitting cars at prices their customers can afford, a win for car owners who can very quickly recoup any increase in purchase price through lower fuel bills, and a win for the European economy which benefits from lower oil import bills as well as seeing the savings from consumers’ lower fuel bills being spent elsewhere.

This step will need to be followed by further reductions in vehicle emissions. The Commission will now focus on the next step and come up with a consultative Communication on post-2020 regulation in the coming months.

Current progress in reducing cars CO2 emissions demonstrates the success of the applicable legislative framework. Cars emissions have already been reduced from 159 g in 2007 to 132g/km in 2012.